


Spring has Sprung!

by JoMouse



Series: A Very Sterek Winter 2021 [7]
Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Bad Puns, Don't copy to another site, Engaged Derek Hale/Stiles Stilinski, Established Relationship, Happy Ending, Light Angst, M/M, Spring
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-31
Updated: 2021-01-31
Packaged: 2021-03-17 10:21:33
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,674
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29098722
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JoMouse/pseuds/JoMouse
Summary: It's Spring and Derek is thinking about the future.Written forA Very Sterek Winter 2021. Theme: Winter turns to Spring.
Relationships: Derek Hale & Stiles Stilinski, Derek Hale/Stiles Stilinski
Series: A Very Sterek Winter 2021 [7]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2124750
Comments: 18
Kudos: 99
Collections: A Very Sterek Winter 2021, Sterek Goodness





	Spring has Sprung!

**Author's Note:**

> Greetings and Salutations!
> 
> It is the last day of [A Very Sterek Winter 2021](HTTP://averysterekwinter.tumblr.com) and I can't believe I made it through. 
> 
> Unbeta'd because last minute. 
> 
> Hope you enjoy! Thank you to everyone who has supported me through this week and every day! You're all amazing!
> 
> xx-Joey
> 
> Don't know 'em. Don't know 'em. Don't show 'em.

There was giggling coming from outside the house as Derek went down the stairs. The open sliding door at the bottom of the stairs explained the cool bite to the morning air. It was definitely warmer than it had been for the past few months, and if Derek inhaled deeply enough, he could smell the flora outside coming back to life. It had been a harsh winter, so Derek was looking forward to Spring even more than he usually did.

Standing just inside the door, he could see the entrance to the shed in the backyard was ajar and shadows moving within the building. Shaking his head, he wondered what his fiance and his daughter were getting up to in there. At least there was giggling and other noises floating across the yard; you didn’t have to start worrying until those Stilinskis were quiet.

Leaving two of the most important people in his life to their own devious devices, Derek headed into the kitchen to begin making breakfast for the three of them. He hadn’t officially moved into the house, but he spent more nights than not with them and was wondering how Stiles would feel if he leased out his lot and made the move official. He’d tried mentioning it a few times but always chickened out at the last minute. They were getting married in a few months but hadn’t discussed where they would live after the wedding.

He let his mind wander while he cooked, the breakfast coming together quickly and his mood falling at the same rate. Once he’d set the finished food on the table, he leaned out the back door and whistled. Two heads peeked around the corner of the shed’s doorway. “Anybody up for some waffles?”

Claudia looked up at her dad, who glanced back over his shoulder before nodding. Moving quickly, they shut the door behind them and came into the house, heading straight for the sink to wash their hands before sitting down to eat. Stiles and Claudia kept exchanging looks while they ate, and finally, Derek set his fork down and leveled them both with a severe gaze.

“All right, what’s going on out there?”

“Nothing,” they answered in unison, and Derek’s eye roll was extreme enough to hurt for a moment.

“Fine, don’t tell me,” Derek responded, picking up his fork to continue eating. The silence stretched on for so long that Derek was longing for one of Claudia’s terrible puns. He tried to come up with one of his own, but they weren’t his strong suit, and soon he was taking his last bite.

After breakfast, Claudia headed back out into the shed while Stiles stayed behind to help Derek clear the table. “You know it’s just a Claudia surprise, right?” Stiles asked. “It’s nothing to be worried about.”

“I know,” Derek answered, taking the plates from Stiles and stacking them in the dishwasher. “I’ll probably head back to the loft after this.”

Stiles’ heart skipped, and Derek glanced at him. “Yeah, okay,” he said. “You’ll be back later?” 

Derek shrugged. “I could get some work done. Let you and Claudia have your time together.” He knew he sounded jealous, but he wasn’t. He loved that Stiles and Claudia were so close and still allowed him to be a part of their lives. Maybe it was the change in seasons that had him feeling out of sorts, untethered.

Stiles didn’t say anything in response, and eventually, Derek closed the dishwasher and started it. Smiling, he headed to the stairs to get dressed and grab his keys to head back to his loft. “I love you,” Stiles called up to him.

Derek stopped in the middle of the stairs, glancing down at him with a small yet genuine smile. “I love you, too.”

Pressing his lips together, Stiles nodded and headed back outside, calling out to Claudia as he went. Derek continued up to the bedroom and made quick work of getting ready to leave. He was down the stairs and out the front door without spotting Stiles or Claudia, the door to the shed still open. There were still noises coming from inside, but the giggling had stopped, and Derek wanted to smack himself for ruining their fun.

Climbing into his vehicle, he headed towards the loft but took a turn towards the Preserve instead. The last thing he wanted was four walls surrounding him and echoing back the silence driving home just how alone he was by his own making. He followed the familiar roads until he pulled up in front of the site of his childhood home. He’d had the ruin torn down years earlier, leaving the lot empty. He parked close to where the driveway used to be, climbing out to look over the property. 

He wrinkled his nose at the damp smell of the earth, eyes focusing on the small green shoots breaking through the ground where the house once stood. The first year nothing had grown there, and each year since a little bit more nature took over. It looked like this would be the year where there would be no sign of something having been there in the first place. He rubbed at his chest, willing away the ache at the lost memories.

Walking a circle around the property, he pictured the house as it had been. The steps leading up to the front door that he’d always get shouted at for slamming shut after school. The porch swing that creaked whenever it moved despite the massive amounts of WD-40 his dad applied to it. The flower beds he would spend Saturdays weeding, complaining while loving every minute of digging his hands into the dirt. 

Kneeling, he ran his hands over the ground, the grass brushing his palms and sending calm through his system. Inhaling deeply, he identified three animals nearby and stayed still while they grew closer. Blinking his eyes, he watched a deer wander past, nibbling at the base of a tree before darting off into the woods when a fox ran by. Smiling, Derek looked up at the squirrel racing through the branches, jumping from tree to tree.

He missed living out in the woods. The smells and the colors and the sounds surrounded him, connecting him to his wolf and his past. Shaking, he rose to his feet and turned in a slow circle, moving away from the memories and into something else. A new house, a smaller house that was just the right size for a family of three or maybe a few more. He imagined a shed in the backyard filled with magic supplies and children’s playground equipment. 

As another familiar sound filled the air, he came to a decision. He knew where he wanted to live after the wedding. He only hoped that Stiles and Claudia would agree to it. Turning, just as Stiles’ Jeep pulled up next to his car, he frowned at the hesitant way the occupants climbed out. He stepped forward to greet them, a smile on his face.

“I have an idea,” he said, smiling down at Claudia as she approached, a large box in her hands. Strange sounds came from inside of it, metal rubbing against cardboard and things sliding against each other. Tilting his head, he pointed to it. “What’s that?”

“Tell us your idea first,” Stiles said, his smile growing when Derek reached for his hand and squeezed it.

Taking a deep breath, Derek looked at Claudia and then Stiles. “How would you feel about moving out here after the wedding?”

“Here?” Stiles asked, gesturing to the wide-open space.

“There’s no house,” Claudia pointed out. “Would we sleep under the stars?” She sounded excited. “Campouts every night. Eat over campfires and chase the animals.” She kept going, growing louder, the box in her arms bouncing and making more noise.

Derek chuckled while Stiles face-palmed and shook his head. “I thought we could build a house here and live inside of it.” He knelt down to look Claudia in the eyes. “You and your dad could help me design it. It would be  _ our _ house.”

“Well, if we have to live inside…” she said, drawing her voice out on a huff and then breaking into giggles. “Can we give him the surprise, now?” she asked, looking up at Stiles, who nodded.

Claudia shoved the box at Derek, knocking him on his butt and making her laugh even harder. He glared up at Stiles, who had a hand slapped over his mouth, but a few snorts of laughter escaped anyway. “What’s this?”

“Dad told me you really like this time of year,” Claudia explained. “You like the new plants and everything.” Derek nodded, his mind already going over all of the different plants he wanted to have surrounding the new house. “Open it,” she insisted.

“Should I be scared?” Derek asked, taking the box from her and using a claw to break the tape sealing it shut.

“It was all her idea, so probably,” Stiles said, laughing when Claudia smacked him in the leg with a sound of protest.

Chuckling, Derek pulled back the flaps and was glad he was already sitting down when a plethora of springs jumped out of the box at him. They bounced merrily with construction paper flowers on the ends. Each flower had a packet of seeds taped to the middle with a smiley face sticker on each one. “What is this?” he asked, identifying several of his favorite blooms.

There was a pregnant pause, and Derek groaned as he realized what was coming, a famous Claudia pun that would no doubt make him laugh and cry in equal measure. Looking up, he took in her tiny smirk as she reached out and tapped one of the flowers, making it bounce even more. 

“It’s a gift for you to celebrate because spring has  _ sprung!”  _ she shouted the last word and bounced around Derek and Stiles as they both shook their heads, laughing until they wiped tears from their eyes.

**Author's Note:**

> Come say 'hi' on tumblr. I'm 'josjournal' over there.


End file.
